• NPP’s Dr. Harini issues clarion call to SL’s womenfolk to elect respectful, empathetic leader       

Sri Lanka needs a leader that respects and listens to women and does not fear women’s leadership, and the upcoming Presidential Election is an opportunity for women to elect such a leader, the National People’s Power’s (NPP) women’s group member, Opposition Parliamentarian Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said.

Speaking at a press briefing held yesterday (8), she added that in order to gather women seeking better leadership, a national women’s summit will be held in Colombo on 25 August. As a community that constitutes the majority of the population, she added, women have a lot of power to elect leaders that serve the country.

Members of this women’s group said that the Presidential Election is not an ordinary Election, as the results of the said Election have the potential to change the people’s lives amidst the prevailing economic hardships. 

Group member Samanmalee Gunasinghe added that the efforts aimed at electing a competent leader is driven largely by women, and that women should strive to elect a leader with a more modern approach to dealing with economic issues. “Women have the serious responsibility and accountability of taking leadership in the quest to create a new political culture,” she said, adding that women should fulfill their responsibility as a citizen during the Election period.

During the press briefing, members of the said women’s group further noted that women should reject the present Government, as it has not only failed to truly revive the economy but has also resorted to deceiving the people. They added that providing meager reliefs to the people, including through tax hikes, when the prevailing economic downfall is massive, does not resolve the economic issues, and that it is something that every citizen, regardless of gender, should be concerned about. They claimed that what the Government has done in response to the impacts of the economic crisis is inadequate, and that more concrete and sustainable solutions are necessary.